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Senator J. D. Vance (R-OH) Speaks at Campaign Event in Michigan; Walz Attacks Trump in First Appearance with Harris. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired August 07, 2024 - 10:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[10:30:00]

SEN. J. D. VANCE (R-OH), REPUBLICAN VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You stop proposing mass amnesty for millions of illegal aliens, that solves the majority of the border problem on day one. President Trump already did it, and he will certainly do it again.

Now, to your point about what do you do with the people who are already here? I think it's important that we send a message that if you have come to this country illegally, if you plowed into an innocent mom and her daughter, and they lost their lives because of your actions, the message from the Trump administration is simple, pack your bags because in four months, you're going home. We do not consent to an invasion of this country for millions of people who shouldn't be here and we are going to deport people.

Now, you start with the people who are most dangerous. You start with the most violent criminals. You make it harder for businesses to hire illegal aliens, and you work your way down from there, and I think that's how you solve the problem of the people who are here.

But if you're not willing to tell at least some of the people who are in this country illegally that you have to go back, then you don't have a real border policy, and unfortunately, that's what Kamala Harris has given this country. Sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last night, Governor Walz suggested that because of your Ivy League education and your Silicon backing your political career, that you yourself are part of the elite. What are your first impressions of them trying to frame you this way to the American public?

VANCE: Well, look, I came from a family where nobody in my family had ever gone to law school. I was -- I grew up in a poor family. The fact that Tim Walz wants to turn it into a bad thing, that I actually worked myself through college, through law school, and made something myself, to me that's the American dream. And if Tim Walz wants to insult it, I think that's frankly, pretty bizarre.

Now, look, what I, what really bothers me about Tim Walz, it's not even the positions that he's taken, though, certainly he has been a far-left radical. You know what really bothers me about Tim Walz as a Marine who served his country in uniform? When the United States Marine Corps, when the United States of America asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country, I did it. I did what they asked me to do and I did it honorably and I'm very proud of that service.

When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq, you know what he did? He dropped out of the army and allowed his unit to go without him, a fact that he's been criticized for aggressively by a lot of the people that he served with. I think it's shameful to prepare your unit to go to Iraq, to make a promise that you're going to follow through, and then to drop out right before you actually have to go.

I also think it's dishonest. Something -- again, if you guys ever get an opportunity to ask Tim Walz or Kamala Harris some questions, he made this interesting comment that the Kamala Harris campaign put out there, and I bet they were great at -- regretting they put it out there now, because he said that we -- and he was making a point about gun control, he said we shouldn't allow weapons that I used in war to be on America's streets.

Well, I wonder, Tim Walz, when were you ever in war? When was this -- what was this weapon that you carried into war given that you abandoned your unit right before they went to Iraq and he has not spent a day in a combat zone? What bothers me about Tim Walz is the stolen valor garbage. Do not pretend to be something that you're not. And if he wants to criticize me for getting an Ivy League education, I'm proud of the fact that my mamaw supported me, that I was able to make something of myself. I'd be ashamed if I was him and I lied about my military service like he did. Sir. Could you speak a little louder? Sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will Jones from Local 4.

VANCE: Yes, sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to talk a little bit about race. I was at the National Association of Black Journalists Conference last year where President Trump made some attacks on Vice President Harris' biracial heritage. You're married to an Indian-American woman. You have biracial children. How do you explain his attacks and what is your reaction to his attacks as a father of biracial children?

VANCE: Yes, sir. So, I am the father of biracial children. Actually, my wife is here today that my kids are back home with my aunt today. And look, I was not bothered at all by what President Trump said. And I didn't take it as an attack on Kamala Harris' biracial background at all.

What I took it as was an attack on Kamala Harris being a chameleon. She pretends to be one thing when she's in front of one audience. She pretends to be something else when she's in front of another audience. And I think he was observing the basic foundational reality that Kamala Harris pretends to be something different, depending on which audience she's speaking to.

Now, she has been able to hide this a little bit because for the past couple of weeks she only speaks in front of a teleprompter. She never gives unscripted remarks and she's hidden from the American media and from the American people. But we know she's a chameleon. We know she's a person who promised to defund the police and now wants to pretend she's a tough prosecutor.

She said that she would be our border czar, and yet, for three and a half years, we have an open border. She said that she would bring some common sense and lower inflation to our economic policies, and yet, she cast the deciding vote that raised interest rates, raised home prices, and raised food prices.

Donald Trump said something very simple, totally inoffensive, but frankly, obviously true to me, which is that Kamala Harris is a chameleon. She's a fake, and the American people have to look at her record if we actually want to know what -- how she stands on the issues, because her words simply can't be trusted. Sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How can you fake your race?

VANCE: I'm sorry?

[10:35:00]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If she's both Indian and black, how can she fake her race?

VANCE: She fakes who she is depending on the audience that she's in front of and that's who she is. And that's who she's always been. Sir.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little bit different here. You've been criticized as being too serious, too angry sometimes. What makes you smile? What makes you happy?

VANCE: Well, I smile at a lot of things, including bogus questions from the media, man. I mean, look, I think if you watch --

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: All right. That is the Republican vice presidential candidate, J. D. Vance, senator from Ohio. You heard a lot of attacks they're coming from J. D. Vance. Joining me now to do some fact-checking on this, offer some perspective CNN's Alayna Treene, the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, Ben Wickler, also joining me is CNN senior political analyst, Ron Brownstein.

Alayna, let me go to you first because you're covering all of this and some of these lines of attack are familiar. He calls Kamala Harris a chameleon. That's despite the fact that J. D. Vance once described Donald Trump as America's Hitler and now is on his ticket. So, I mean, he's also gone through some evolutions over the years. But walk us through some of this, because one of the things that is going to stand out and that the American people are going to be hearing about for the first time are these attacks on Tim Walz's military record. He served in the National Guard for 24 years. He was in the military for 24 years.

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: He was. First in the Nebraska National Guard and then moved over to Minnesota's National Guard. And you're right, 24 years. He ended up being the National Guard's, I want to get this right, command sergeant major. I'm not as good with some of the military terms. But look, I've dug into this a little bit. And Walz has -- and Walz himself has responded to a lot of this. So, essentially, he served up until 2005, right before he decided to leave the National Guard, which he says was to pursue a political career and try to run in Congress. He was deployed to Italy. Now, there are some people we have seen online and we've seen the Trump campaign actually really seize on this, they've had some people who previously served with him who said that they felt like he abandoned him. When he resigned is when, later -- a couple months later, they ended up deploying his unit to Iraq.

But others who also worked with Walz and were in the National Guard with him said, look, he always talked about wanting to run for Congress. It was very clear when he was deployed to Italy that he had political ambitions. He began talking about it and that decision had nothing to do with the assignment. And so, you'll hear Walz talk about this more. He's already kind of hit back on some of this. But it's a key thing that they're going to be trying to use because, you know, Vance himself was also a veteran and he's trying to act like I did real military service and Walz didn't.

ACOSTA: Yes, Ron Brownstein, I mean, these attacks were going to come and they do remind me of when I covered the Kerry campaign back in 2004. The so-called swift boating of John Kerry was a key part of that campaign, questioning his military service, even though John Kerry was a war hero. It does sound familiar. These lines of attack.

RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST AND SENIOR EDITOR, THE ATLANTIC: Yes, with, of course, a couple of big differences being that Tim Walz is not the presidential nominee and Donald Trump is not really someone who can go around complaining about people dodging military service, right? I mean, that isn't a really effective line of comparison or argument for him.

Look, I think more what I heard here is I felt more echoes of people's 1988 than of 2004, you know, kind of, a campaign to redefine Harris as an out of touch coastal liberal who is not strong enough to protect you either at the border or on crime. And that is going to be an important line of argument for her to find a way to rebut.

I mean, you know, Republicans made that case devastatingly against Mike Dukakis in 1988. As you'll recall -- people will recall with the Willie Horton ads, about a prisoner who was furloughed and committed another crime. The difference of course is that Harris was a prosecutor and she sent people to jail.

You know, in 2020 in the race, when she was in the Democratic race, it was a negative. People use the phrase Kamala is a cop to attack her. I think the question is going to be whether at the convention, as she fills in what is still largely a blank, if somewhat positive canvas for voters, can she establish the toughness she needs, which is really what all of these attacks are about. They all kind of boil down to she's not tough enough to keep you safe in a dangerous world, which obviously plays on gender stereotypes as well.

She has, you know, some responses in her resume that were not available to other Democrats. She hasn't really talked about that much in the context of intra democratic politics. It may now be a weapon in the same way that it was sort of an anvil in 2020.

ACOSTA: And, Ben Wikler, you're still with us. You're the chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. When you hear J. D. Vance going after Tim Walz like that, I mean, he is relatively unknown. Obviously, the Trump campaign, they're going to throw everything but the kitchen sink or including the kitchen sink at J. D. Vance. And you're starting to hear some of that. What's your response?

[10:40:00]

BEN WIKLER, CHAIR, WISCONSIN DEMOCRATIC PARTY: Well, we have to expect a vicious, constant string of utterly dishonest hogwash attacks. The reality is that Trump candidate bone spurs who escaped his own service, and then described avoiding sexually transmitted diseases as his personal Vietnam, this is someone who is in a glass house trying to throw stones through the wall.

At the same time, Tim Walz served for 24 years. And then he was elected to Congress in 2006, and has been a champion for veterans and for the armed services. Vice President Harris worked with President Biden to pass the PACT Act, the biggest increase in support for veterans benefits in decades in our country. And we know Vice President Harris, when she was a prosecutor and the and then attorney general and district attorney, she put transnational criminals, gangs, human traffickers in jail.

She's been a dynamite champion of safety, the same way Governor Walz funded law enforcement. He funded public safety and first responders and did that work even after Trump during his administration led to a huge spike in crime rates that has finally started to come down under Biden and Harris. So, there's really a strong argument for safety for the Harris-Walz ticket and against Trump-Vance, that I think Trump and Vance are hoping to try to avoid by throwing these kinds of attacks.

ACOSTA: Yes. And, Ron, I mean, one of the things that I've noticed thus far, and I'm not new to this observation, is that Trump and J. D. Vance, I mean, they seem to stumble out of the gates in terms of how to respond to Kamala Harris, I don't think they anticipated that she would come on this strong, and I don't think -- I mean, they were sort of betting that Josh Shapiro was going to be the vice presidential nominee, and now you have Tim Walz who I think has exceeded a lot of Democratic expectations and has just come out of this -- you know, out of the gates here as sort of like this corn husker, corn dog coach kind of guy that people like. I mean, he -- you know, he came across very well last night.

And you had Donald Trump on Truth Social, imagining that Joe Biden might somehow come out of left field and get back into this race somehow. I mean, it just suggests that they've been really thrown off course here in a way that they did not anticipate.

BROWNSTEIN: Yes. Look, they did have a game plan running against Biden, which is really strength against weakness, going to what I was talking about a minute ago. That was the core dynamic of the campaign. And, you know, Biden's performance of the debate certainly confirmed that narrative. And now, they are casting around trying to figure out how to run against Harris. It's clear.

I mean, Trump's attack on her racial identity was a really -- was a good symbol of that, that they don't really know exactly what to do. I think you can kind of see in Wayne Gretzky-like where the puck is going in the sense of them trying to make this ideological slash strength argument that she is a radical coastal liberal who won't keep you safe. You know, we'll see how that works relative, as I said, to kind of a Dukakis era type attempt at that because she does have assets to rebut it with.

You know, the other question is Walz. And look, he is a perfectly reasonable vice presidential pick. He is a good campaigner. He has a good personal story. People like him. He has a record of accomplishment. But you may get to a point in October where Democrats are wondering if there was an opportunity cost in going with someone who really, in some ways, is a do no harm pick rather than maybe the higher risk, but potentially higher reward of the governor of a state that you absolutely cannot afford to lose if you're a Democrat.

I think most models have if Harris cannot win Pennsylvania, her chances are somewhere between 5 and 10 percent of winning the race overall and leaving on the table the popular governor of that state. I think a lot of Republicans were breathing a sigh of relief. So, Walz brings assets but there may be an opportunity cost as well, separate issue from where the Republicans find a line of argument against Harris. You can see where they're going, though.

I think, by the way, tactical advantage for the Democrats that Biden did not drop out until after the Republican convention. They spent a lot of time attacking him with arguments that are now irrelevant and not trying to imprint -- and imprint of the vice president.

ACOSTA: Yes. I mean -- and, Ron, I mean, I don't know if we have the Truth Social post to put up on screen, but I will say that during the entire run up to Joe Biden dropping out of the race, when there are questions about his mental acuity, is he all there? What's going on here? If Joe Biden were on social media posting the things like Donald Trump did on Truth Social yesterday in response to the Walz pick, and was saying things like, you know -- and again, I don't know if we can put it up on screen, maybe we don't have it ready in time.

[10:45:00]

Just sort of on this extended sort of incoherent rant and this idea that Joe Biden would get back into the race. I do think that there would be a large number of Americans who would just be very concerned about whether the president was all there. I'm just saying, if Joe Biden were to post something on social media in the same way.

BROWNSTEIN: We see that in the polls. We see that in the polls already this week. I mean, the question of who is mentally and physically -- especially mentally.

ACOSTA: And I'm saying that with all sincerity. I mean, I just think that objectively speaking, just to boil it down. I mean, if you were just to show that Truth Social post and put Joe Biden's name at the top of it, I just think that there would be a serious discussion about what's going on with the president. And of course, that was going on with the president for other reasons. But if he were engaging in those kinds of similar ramblings, I think we would be having that kind of very serious discussion.

Alayna, Ben, Ron, thank you very much. I have to go. We'll be right back.

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[10:50:00]

ACOSTA: And Minnesota, Governor Tim Walz's introduction to the country on Wednesday. Kamala Harris' new running mate proved he is the attack dog she needs out on the campaign trail, wasting no time and going right after former President Donald Trump.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN), DEMOCRATIC VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Donald Trump would damn sure take us backwards, let's be clear about that. Donald Trump's not fighting for you or your family. He never sat at that kitchen table like the one I grew up at. He sat at his country club in Mar-a-Lago wondering how he can cut taxes for his rich friends.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Here with us now to discuss Walz's fellow Minnesotan Democratic Senator Tina Smith, who is a surrogate for the Harris-Walz ticket. Senator, thanks so much for being with us. I do want to get your reaction because I don't know if you heard any of what J.D. Vance was saying earlier on in this program. But he was making, you know, lots of assertions and engaging lots of attacks on both Kamala Harris and her new running mate, Tim Walz.

And one of the things that J. D. Vance was asked about was Trump, you know, recently commenting on Kamala Harris' race and that she suddenly became black only recently. And J. D. Vance said she fakes who she is depending on the audience that she's in front of, that's who she is, that's who she's always been. So, he's sort of doubling down on Trump's attacks on Kamala Harris's race. What's your response to that?

SEN. TINA SMITH (D-MN), HARRIS-WALZ SURROGATE: Well, good morning. It's great to be with you. And I think what we're seeing are Trump and Vance and their people just scrambling to figure out what to do, because you have in this ticket Vice President Harris and now Governor Tim Walz, a really strong ticket. One that is ready to govern. One that is ready to take it to the American people. And also, a team that is obviously, as of last night, you could see it just so filled with the joy of the work and the happiness and the fun of campaigning when you're fighting for something that you believe in. And meanwhile, they're off in this sort of doom and gloom world and casting these ridiculous attacks on the vice president.

I think she's very smart to respond to this with dignity and with grace and with a little bit of humor rather than letting it get to her because I think most people see this and go, that's just ridiculous. I -- it just has nothing to do with my life or what's going on with me. And so, it's not relevant to what I'm trying to do in my own life.

ACOSTA: And, Senator, Former President Trump reacted to the Walz selection. Let's listen to what he had to say earlier this morning and talk about on the other side.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT AND REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I know him a little bit. I helped him very much during the riots. He's a very, very liberal man. And he's a shocking pick. And I'm thrilled. I could not be more thrilled.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ACOSTA: Senator, what's your response to that?

SMITH: Well, you know, I think it's just laughable. Here's Governor Walz who was elected to Congress from Minnesota's 1st District, which he was only the second Democrat in -- since 1892 who was elected to represent this conservative leaning district, a farming, rural community. So, is that liberal? I don't think so. Here's the guy who's been endorsed by Joe Manchin and the Democratic Party, who was not definitely part of the liberal wing.

And then, you look at his record as governor, I don't think there's anything radical about giving the people of Minnesota the largest tax cut in our history. I don't think there's anything that's radical about saying that everybody in Minnesota, thanks to the law that Tim signed, can get insulin at no more than $35.

These are mainstream ideas he took action. He wasn't afraid to use his power to accomplish things for everyday Minnesotans. But it's far from radical.

ACOSTA: And when you hear former president and J.D. Vance, and this was just happening a few moments ago with the senator from Ohio, going after Tim Walz's military record, going after Tim Walz on handling of the rioting in Minneapolis. What do you have to say to that?

SMITH: Well, here is Tim Walz who enlisted when he was 17 years old. He served in the National Guard for 24 years. And I'm not aware of any military service that J. D. Vance has ever served. So, let's just make the comparison there. And what happened in the tragedy of the killing of George Floyd and then the unrest.

ACOSTA: Well, he was in the Marines but --

[10:55:00]

SMITH: Yes. OK. Pardon me for that. But to go after somebody's record of service to me is just ridiculous. And let's take a moment to understand what happened during the unrest that occurred not only in Minneapolis, but in cities across the country and across the world following the tragic killing of George Floyd.

In the midst of all of that pain, Governor Walz came in. He deployed the National Guard. He restored peace to the streets of Minneapolis. And in fact, Trump's own defense secretary wrote that he thought that what -- how Governor Walz handled this should be a model for other governors around the country. So, that's his record and he's proud of it and so am I.

ACOSTA: All right. Senator Tina Smith, that's all the time we have. We'll get you back as soon as we can. Thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

And thanks to everybody else for joining us this morning. I'm Jim Acosta. Our next hour of Newsroom with Wolf Blitzer starts after a quick break. Thanks for --

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